Why is Hellboy Cool?

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Our take on why Big Red's popularity has endured for so long.

By Benjamin Bailey

March 2014 marks 20 years of Hellboy comics. For a non-Marvel/DC book, that is no small feat. For a book about a wise-cracking demon from Hell and his friends, it's downright amazing. The enormity of this accomplishment becomes overwhelming when you take in account the fact that Hellboy has spawned a whole universe of comics, with titles like BPRD, Lobster Johnson and Abe Sapien all being published regularly. Add in two feature films, some animated movies, a video game and toys, and you begin to to understand that Hellboy is truly a pop culture icon.

Ask anybody who has read a Hellboy comic book and they will tell you why this character – and, maybe even more so, his world – is so damn good. Visually, thanks to the awesome art skills of creator Mike Mignola, Hellboy has a great look. Like a giant red ape, Hellboy's dark form hulks over those around him. His stone hand is grotesque and massive. Mignola's artwork imbued Hellboy with a world draped in shadow and death. It was like a horror book from the 1950s, where unimaginable creatures climbed from depths unknown to strike at the world we know. To put it simply, Hellboy looked like a monster.

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Now, a lesser creation would have ended there. A lesser creator would have been satisfied with this demonic being they had brought to life on the page. Mike Mignola did something else entirely. When Hellboy: Seed of Destruction #1 launched, Mignola's story, brought to life with his own stunning artwork and script by John Byrne, told a decidedly human tale. It was horror, yes, but it was also high adventure. Hellboy had a sense of humor and heart. There was a touch of Indiana Jones on those pages, a sense of a mystical world just beyond our own. Hellboy, this giant monster of a character, was relatable. The thing that made Hellboy fall in love with humanity? Pancakes. Readers connected with him. They still do to this day.

As the Hellboy series continued, it began to grow. The Hellboy Universe of one of the most complete and fleshed out comic book worlds around. Forget Marvel and DC, if you like sweeping stories that include multiple characters and timelines, Hellboy is the place to go. The thing is, unlike other publishers, Hellboy does it right. You can read just the main Hellboy title and be fine. Or, you can just read the Lobster Johnson books and enjoy their pulpy, throwback style. When read together, they paint a bigger picture. Same goes for Abe Sapien and BPRD. Sledge Hammer and Witchfinder. Read all or just read one. It's brilliantly executed, plus – and we don't say this lightly – it's all good. This world has been crafted by creators like Richard Corben, Duncan Fegredo, Dave Stewart, Guy Davis, John Arcudi, Gabriel Ba, Fabio Moon and many others. Mignola has been around, overseeing the entire thing.

The publisher of Hellboy comics, Dark Horse, has deemed this Saturday, March 22nd, 2014 as Hellboy Day. If you have never read this fantastic character and his glorious world, start now. Don't wait for another 20 years to pass you by. You can start with Hellboy: Seed of Destruction. Or, if you wanna start things off with a bang, pick up the first volume of the Hellboy Library Editions. They are giant, oversized hardcovers that are some of the finest crafted books around. Plus, they look awesome on your bookshelf. People will like you more if they come into your house and see some Hellboy hardcovers adorning your shelf. People with good taste in comics and pancakes, anyway.